


as if by design

by avxry



Category: Hamilton - Miranda
Genre: Everyone loves nb lafayette, M/M, Nonbinary Lafayette, Slash, Soulmate AU, more like pre-slash, not really a coffeeshop au but theyre in a coffeeshop so, the one where whatever you draw on yourself ends up on your soulmate
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-09-02
Updated: 2016-10-05
Packaged: 2018-08-12 10:50:36
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 5,809
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7931818
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/avxry/pseuds/avxry
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>"Black ink, swirled and woven along his fingers, on his palms, smudged. It is beautiful, but not unlike anything Lafayette has seen before, because they have seen it before, on John's hands."</p><p>Everyone seems to figure out that Alexander Hamilton is John Laurens' soulmate before John does.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. in which lafayette finds out

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> as you hopefully know, i do not own these historical figures and they do not live in this modern age; if they did, we'd either be entirely fortunate or entirely screwed

John Laurens is an artist, whether he admits it or not. He draws on his hands, arms, legs, feet, anywhere and everywhere. He is constantly covered in some kind of intricate design, idly adding to it when boredom strikes.

But sometimes it overlaps with words, long and complicated. These words are not his. They come not from his pen, but from the pen of his soulmate, whom he hasn't even met yet. John takes comfort in soulmates, unlike his own; half of the notes jotted down by his soulmate are refuting the validity of the notion.

At first, John is hurt - his soulmate, the person who is supposed to love him, already doesn't. It is because of this that John does not search for whoever it may be; he knows when to move on, and he has. He has his friends, whom he believes love him more than his soulmate ever could.

Hercules Mulligan, whose name is entirely fitting, is the frightening, kind, hilarious fashion student who always acts disinterested but who always cares. He always acts bitter and above their antics, but they all know better. Hercules is always there.

John's other friend has a name as long as their hair and their patience, but they are called simply Lafayette. They are beautiful, charming, wildly intelligent, and John's best friend of many years. Part of John is in love with Lafayette - then again, everyone is in love with Lafayette. They are elegant, and sarcastic to the point of rudeness, and John loves them for it.

And so John is content. His friends are brilliant, his schoolwork is going well, and he is right on the edge of happiness, he can feel it, right there, and he's doing fine.

Enter Alexander Hamilton, human disaster. He is a mess, a hurricane of power and ideas and thousands of cups of coffee. His eyes are perpetually sunken in and surrounded in purple. His long hair stays tied in a low, loose bun, strands constantly falling about his face. He is a whirlwind, a force of nature.

"He's certainly something," Lafayette mumbles. The three of them are in the coffee shop sitting at their usual Saturday table, watching the young man on the other side of the room typing furiously on his laptop. 

"He reminds me of you," Hercules adds, nodding to John, who rolls his eyes.

"I don't think I was that bad." 

"Mon ami, do not kid yourself," Lafayette shakes their head. "You were a disaster."

"I might have been..."

"A train wreck?" Hercules laughs. Then he shrugs. "He's cute. You should go talk to him."

"Are you out of your mind?" John replies. "He looks like he might snap if someone sneezes too loudly, much less talks to him." 

"Maybe Hercules is right," Lafayette adds. "If you don't talk to him, I will." 

"Be my guest," John offers with a wave of his hand.

Lafayette gives him a look, but rises anyway. They swagger over to the man, their face decorated in a smirk, the one that usually gets them whatever they want.

"Bonjour," they greet smoothly.

The man continues typing frantically, not having noticed Lafayette's presence. They are not deterred. They sit down directly across from him and repeat, "Bonjour," a little louder this time.

The man looks up briefly, catalogs the person sitting in front of him. "Hello." He returns to his work.

"Je ma'pelle Lafayette," they say. "And you?"

"Alexander Hamilton."

"May I call you Alex?"

"If you so desire," he replies sarcastically. Lafayette is partly frustrated; not many have ever resisted their charm. They can practically feel Hercules and John's snickers behind them.

"You seem to be working very hard," they observe with a smile, dripping in charisma. Alex doesn't answer, just continues his work. Lafayette is only half enjoying this chase. "Can I be of assistance?"

"You could let me concentrate."

Despite the man's tone, Lafayette is somehow charmed by him, intrigued. Alexander reaches for his cup of coffee and Lafayette notices his hand.

Black ink, swirled and woven along his fingers, on his palms, smudged. It is beautiful, but not unlike anything Lafayette has seen before, because they have seen it before, on John's hands.

They show no sign of noticing it. They are composed, only smiling a little at the artwork. Lafayette is smart. They understand what John has done to forget about his soulmate. But Lafayette also sees.

He takes Alexander's hand gently. The man looks up, annoyed. Lafayette types a set of numbers right onto the page Alexander has been typing on. "Call me sometime. Please."

They leave, telling the others he was just uninterested. They smile. John's time will come.


	2. in which alexander finds out

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> originally the first chapter was going to be a one-shot, but i asked if anyone wanted the next chapters and a couple people responded (shoutout to you guys, you're the real mvp) and so here i am
> 
> i apologize in advance

It is nearly eleven o'clock at night when John Laurens' phone rings. He assumes it is Lafayette, who had called him three times prior (they were spending the weekend with their parents, who were less-than-supportive of their orientation). He picks up the phone without looking at the number.

"You're going to be fine," John says immediately.

"Thank you for the sentiment," answers a voice John has never heard before. "But I can't get myself out of here alone."

John removes the phone form his ear and looks at the number, one he doesn't recognize. He furrows his eyebrows and returns the phone to his ear.

"Uh, sorry, who is this?"

"Alexander Hamilton; you gave me your number Saturday at the café. Though you seem to be lacking your accent."

"I don't think -" And John remembers Lafayette meeting the frantic man at the coffee shop Saturday and sighs. "I'm afraid my friend gave you the wrong number."

"Why would he do that?"

"They. They do that because they're always trying to set me up. Sorry."

"Either way, I still need help," Alexander says. "I'm at the campus jail, and I have no money on me. I'll pay you back."

John can't figure out why he cares, but still he asks, "What did you do?"

"I punched someone," the other replies. "It's not important. I just need someone to bail me out.

John considers. He looks down at his half-eaten microwave dinner and decides he isn't very hungry anyway.

 

* * *

John Laurens forks over the bail for a man he has never met, and all he can think is that Lafayette would be enjoying this. The person behind the counter yanks the money away, and John is led to a small holding cell where only one person sits.

"I assume you're Alexander Hamilton," he states, smiling politely. An officer unlocks the door and the man walks out.

"And I assume you're not Lafayette."

"Ah, no. I'm John Laurens."

"Well, John Laurens," Alexander says, straightening himself out and lifting his chin, "thank you for your assistance. Do you have a pen?"

John furrows his eyebrows but pulls out the pen he keeps in his pocket and hands it over. Alexander takes it, removes the cap, and says, "Let me see your hand."

John gives the man a look but offers his hand anyway, intrigued and a little worried. Alexander takes his hand in his own and scribbles ten numbers. He closes the lid and returns the pen with a (flirtatious? John can't tell) smile.

"In case I ever need to bail you out," he explains, a glint in his eye, and then he's off, scuttling down the hall and out into the world, and John can only think that he's charmed. He doesn't even remember to remind Alexander about paying him back. 

He laughs to himself, shakes his head, and goes back to his dorm, glancing at the numbers on his hand every few minutes. 

 

* * *

Alexander returns to his dorm room feeling odd. A sensation keeps overtaking him. He can't place it. 

He shakes it off until he reaches to turn the sink on. He doesn't know what to think, tries to come up with different explanations. His breath nearly stops.

On his hand are ten numbers, in his handwriting, the same numbers he had scrawled on John Laurens' hand. 

He has written so much about the invalidity of soulmates that he had forgotten that he had one, despite how many drawings he was constantly covered in. Something in his head wants to click into place, but it just doesn't, not quite. He isn't sure if it's himself or something else that's holding him back.

Only part of him wishes that John Laurens doesn't call.


	3. in which hercules finds out

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this is the sloppiest of all, i'm literally flying by the seat of my pants here (wink wink) so it's just choppy and undeveloped but i want to get it out so here take this word vomit thank you for reading

Hercules Mulligan is never late - except for when he is. To be fair, he's not late very often. But this morning, his alarm clock loses power and he sleeps right through the first few minutes of his design class. He jolts awake, immediately knowing he's late by the light streaming through his window. 

He rushes to put on his shoes and sprints out the door at full speed, grabbing only a notebook and pencil, both of which probably aren't even his. 

Naturally, he runs into somebody - literally. He collides with someone who had been texting furiously, seemingly angry, but right now, Hercules is the angry one, he can't catch a break. 

Neither of them say sorry as they continue rushing past the other, and luckily, Hercules gets to his class just ten minutes after the beginning. He gets a cold look from the professor, but at least he isn't absent. 

He sits through the class, taking his notes and adding in his ideas, the best in the class. When it's over, he greets the professor personally and apologizes. The professor understands, but leaves him with a stern, "Don't let it happen again."

Hercules leaves the classroom, notebook and pencil in hand, and heads toward the bathroom. When he enters, there is only one other person in the room, but he's not doing anything, just standing in front of the mirror, looking conflicted.

Hercules does his business, and as he's washing his hands, he notices that the man still hasn't moved. 

"You alright?" he asks, grabbing some paper towels. He squints. This guy is strikingly familiar, but he can't quite place it.

He doesn't answer for a moment. Hercules stares worriedly, drying his hands slowly. He's about to ask again when the man finally answers.

"What do you know about soulmates?" he asks, seemingly strained.

"Uh, just about what everyone knows," Hercules shrugs, still looking at the guy strangely. "Whatever you write on yourself ends up on your soulmate."

The guy clenches his jaw, then spins to face Hercules and shoves his hand up to his face. "Look at this."

There's a phone number, and obviously Hercules is missing something. "Um, it's a number."

"It's mine."

Hercules looks at the guy again and asks, "Do you need help or something? Is there someone I could call?" This man seriously looks that bad; he needs a day or so of sleep and a comb. 

"No!" he shouts, digging his fingers into his hair. "I've scientifically refuted the validity of soulmates so many times! It's impossible!"

"Hey, hey, calm down, buddy," Hercules says, reaching up to take the man's arms and prevent him from tearing his hair out of his scalp. "Explain what's going on."

The man sighs, shuts his eyes, inhales. "I've proven that soulmates don't exist, several times over. But I gave someone a number, and it showed up on my hand."

"So you met your soulmate," Hercules shrugs. "Lots of people don't end up with their soulmates."

"Yes, but... I..." He apparently doesn't know how to proceed. Finally, he bites down and squares his jaw, looks Hercules in the eye. "I feel something."

Hercules nods. "An attachment. That happens sometimes, when you and your soulmate are more strongly bonded. It's still pretty common." 

"But not for me!" he exclaims, beginning to panic again. 

"Okay, okay," Hercules says, trying to calm him down. "Listen. How about you come with me, I'll get you something to eat, and you can explain."

The guy nods a few times and follows Hercules all the way back to his dormroom. Thankfully his roommate, James Madison, is at class. Hercules grabs the pre-packaged sandwiches he had been storing in his mini-fridge and gives one to the man.

"What's your name?" he begins.

"Alexander." A pause, a bite. "Alexander Hamilton." 

"That sounds familiar," Hercules says, furrowing his brows. "You look familiar. Have we met before or something?"

"Don't think so," Alexander replies, devouring the sandwich. Hercules awkwardly lets him finish, offers him a Pepsi, and then settles in to ask some questions.

"Firstly, tell me the story," he says. 

Alexander explains getting a person's number at this cafe, then calling the number and finding out that it was someone else. He tries to continue before Hercules interrupts.

"Wait," he says, "was the person in the cafe named Lafayette?"

"Yes, how did you know?"

"I was there with them," Hercules says, "them and John Laurens."

Alexander nearly chokes on his Pepsi, almost spews it out of his mouth. "John -- John Laurens?"

Hercules nods as he's fitting the pieces together. "Yeah, John. And he said that he bailed someone out of jail because Lafayette gave the guy his number instead of theirs-" 

He stops, realizes what's becoming more and more obvious. "You're John's soulmate." Alexander nods his head. "That's not good." Alexander shakes his head. 

Hercules is shaking his head now. "You can't meet him. He's tried really hard to let it go."

"What? Why?"

"Because you would always scribble notes about debunking the science behind soulmates. He was really hurt. You have to let it go."

"But -" 

"I'm serious," Hercules says firmly. "He just got over it."

"But what if I was wrong?" Alexander proposes quietly, desperately. "What if I had it all wrong, that soulmates are good? Because it kills me to say it, but I haven't been able to stop thinking about John since we met, and -" 

He stops abruptly, not even knowing where he was going with the train of thought, but Hercules still shakes his head. "It's not a good idea. I can't let you. John can't be let down like that again."

Alexander gets quiet. He purses his lips, strains his eyes as if he's trying to see through the floor. He glances at the clock beside Hercules' bed and exclaims, "Shit! I'm late!"

He calls out, "Sorry, thank you!" as he runs out the door, looking just as frantic as he did when Hercules first saw him. 

He sighs, lies back down on his bed, and hopes that Alexander listens to him. John doesn't need to be reminded of all this; he's still getting better. 

Hercules shakes his head. Sometimes he cares too much.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> wow you made it to the end, thank you very much. only a few chapters left now before you can forget about this disaster of a fanfiction


	4. in which john finds out

John Laurens is not the type to be smitten over someone he just met. He never has been. He's deliberate when he feels things. But this guy, this Alexander Hamilton, struck a chord with him. 

He lets himself smile at the number on the back of his hand. It's faded now, but he put it in his phone as soon as he got back to his dorm. 

He debates with himself. Should he call the number? Should he wait longer, use it only when he needs it, like Alexander had suggested? (Or is that what he suggested? John is thinking much too far into this, and it's starting to freak him out.) 

Finally he just says to himself, "Screw it," and picks up his phone, punching in the numbers, stomach fluttering inside. 

He waits for the sound of Alexander's voice to come over the line. 

He waits a little longer. And a little longer, until he hears the recording spout the typical claim that the voicemail isn't set up. It would have been more reassuring if the voicemail was personalized, but John just ends the call, telling himself that no one really sets their voicemail anymore, right?

Alexander is probably just busy. It's probably nothing. He did look like a very busy person, at the coffee shop. That's all. He calls a few more times over the next hour or so, but still nothing.

John stops worrying about it long enough to finish some of his homework, and by that time, Lafayette has come back from their parents' house.

"How was it?" John asks, closing his textbook.

Lafayette sighs, falling onto their bed in a heap. "I love my parents."

"Yes, you do."

"I really do. But my God, if they call me their son one more time, I will send them back to France."

"I'm sorry Laf," John replies sympathetically. "It's not fair."

They shrug. "It could be worse. I will survive."

"You always do," John reassures them. "And, like always, I'm -"

"Here for me, yes, yes," Lafayette finishes teasingly. "Thank you, John."

"You're welcome, Laf."

"I'm going to sleep," they announce, not even changing into anything more comfortable. John chuckles as they turn over and curl under the blanket immediately. "Goodnight."

"Goodnight, Lafayette."

John tries to continue his homework, but he can't focus. He glances at the clock. It's not too late; he decides to take a walk around the campus before settling in to sleep. He slips on his shoes and stuffs his key, wallet, and phone into his pockets and quietly exits.

The night is mostly clear, a few puffs of clouds here and there. The wind blows gently and John tugs his jacket a little closer to himself. 

He is calm and happy, relaxed, and then he sees him.

Alexander Hamilton is lying on a bench, seemingly staring up at the sky. John stops in his tracks. Part of him wants to keep walking. Another, slightly cunning part of him wants to call Alexander and see if he really is ignoring him. 

He decides against that plan; it's a bit too sneaky for him. He's more upfront. This is what he tells himself when he shoves his hands deep into his pockets and walks toward Alexander.

"Hey," he says, and Alexander startles, sitting up straight and facing him. "John Laurens - from the jail?"

"I remember," Alexander replies, standing up and pulling on the hems of his button-up. 

"Um, I called, earlier," John says with a nervous shrug. It's almost a question.

"I was busy," Alexander says immediately. He seems too nervous for the situation, nothing like the flirty, confident man John had met at the jail. 

John eyes him worriedly. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine," he says. "I have to go." He spins around to leave, but John catches his shoulder before he can get away.

"Are you ignoring me or something?" he asks, hand still on Alexander's shoulder. "Which is fine, I just - want to know."

Alexander doesn't answer, just stares, eyes wide. John doesn't know why this matters so much, why he wants Alexander to like him, but it does matter, and he does want Alexander to like him. 

John lets his hand drop, and Alexander starts fidgeting, rubbing the back of his hand, looking down at it nervously.

"No, I - uh, I'm not -"

"Seriously," John says, tilting his head forward. "If you want me to leave you alone, I will. I just thought -"

"No!" Alexander almost shouts, then adds, "No, that's not - that's not it." 

John considers asking if he's okay again, but he doesn't get the chance. Alexander rubs his face, and before he drops his hands, John sees the smudges on the back of the left one. He recognizes the design because he had been staring at the same one on his hand. He nearly loses his breath.

He reaches over to grab Alexander's wrist, pulls it up to his face and stares at it, as if staring would make it look less like the exact image on his hand. He holds them up to compare, and yes, they're the same, and no, John isn't okay.

Their eyes meet, and Alexander is trying to say something, but it doesn't come out, and John feels half of himself falling apart. Alarms are going off in his head, screaming, No! You know where this leads! 

But another part of him is saying, He is cute, and you couldn't stop thinking about him, and this clearly means something, and he wants to forget the hell he went through when getting over the fact that the person destined to love him didn't. 

And another part just isn't thinking, isn't feeling, is just observing. That's the part that's in control of his mouth, nothing is coming out, he's just staring. 

He says nothing when Alexander mumbles, "Shit." He says nothing when Alexander sprints in the opposite direction.

He says nothing all the way back to his dorm, to his bed, to sleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> only two more to go! i have the majority of 5 written and still have to plan out 6, but i'm close i promise
> 
> however, my wifi availability is currently Not Good; i've got wifi at school but during that time i typically have to do School Related Things so i don't get much time. i'll probably end up uploading the rest on my phone, which will result in copious amounts of grammatical errors because my phone has the spell-checking capabilities of a typewriter 
> 
> anyway, i know this is badly developed and bad quality, but like i said before, i just wanted to throw it into the wind and see where it landed. i haven't written fanfiction in several months apart from this little drabble a few days ago, so i'm really out of writing shape. i hadn't really been in any fandoms, and then i discovered hamilton and whoops down the rabbit hole
> 
> thank you for reading, let me know what you think, and as always, tell me where i'm wrong


	5. in which everyone finds out and it may or may not be okay

John wakes up and remembers immediately. He doesn't freak out or start breathing heavily or overreacting. He rises, makes himself a cup of coffee and sits back down on his bed, staring out the window. 

It's early and bright and cold, just the way he likes it, and the students wandering about the campus keep his mind mostly occupied. Once he's done trying to not think about it, he tries to think about it.

He makes a list of things.

Number one: he met his soulmate last night. How does he feel about this? What does this affect? He doesn't know. He moves on.

Number two: his soulmate has been a burden on his conscience and his self esteem for years; does that change now?  
(John had never been a confident child. As he reached high school, he was diagnosed with depression and anxiety, and he heavily relied on the idea of soulmates ["At least I know my soulmate will love me one day."] When writings started appearing on his arms and hands, little scribbles with notes like "science has never proven" and "unreliable theories," he fell back into the black hole, retreating further into his depression. He met his friends and his life lightened, having set his soulmate aside. Now what?)

Number three: he doesn't know how to handle this. That much is clear.

Number four: Alexander didn't seem happy about this either. John wants to think that it's because Alexander has realized he was wrong, but he knows better than to let himself get too hopeful. 

He runs out of things to list as Lafayette wakes up. They say nothing as they make coffee and return to their bed. John speaks first, still staring out the window.

"I met Alexander Hamilton again last night."

Lafayette raises one eyebrow, seemingly innocent. "How did it go?"

John sighs and turns to look at them. He bites the inside of his cheek before just saying it in one swoop. "He's my soulmate."

Lafayette swallows their sip of coffee and thinks. Finally, they say only, "And?"

John sets his mug down on his desk beside him. "And?" he echoes, frustrated. "And he's my soulmate. And that's not good for me. I think. I don't know. I don't know what to think."

Lafayette nods him along, telling him to just keep talking, say what he needs to say.

"Part of me wants to just - delete his number and forget about him like I did before. But another part of me wants to believe that this means something. You should have seen him, Laf. He didn't look like someone who spends his life refuting the idea of soulmates. He seemed... nervous. Really nervous, like... Like he realized he was wrong."  
John stops, running his hands through his long hair. He pulls it over to the side and starts messily braiding it, a nervous habit he'd had since he was a child. 

Lafayette readjusts on their bed. "But?"

"But what if I'm just projecting?" John says in a puff of breath, as if releasing air he had been hoarding in his lungs. "What if this is just me wanting it to mean more than it does? What if he was just nervous because he would finally have to face the person he who had been seeing all of his evidence trying to prove that soulmates were stupid?" 

"So," Lafayette says finally, "you are having a maternal debate."

John chuckles as much as he can muster as he says, "Internal debate, not maternal."

"Internal debate," Lafayette corrects humorously. They cross their legs and rest their head on their hands. "You are having an internal debate about how to handle this situation. 

Do you embrace this opportunity in hopes that it makes you happy, or do you push it away to guarantee that you remain content?"

"Exactly."

"I don't know."

"Lafayette!" John exclaims, tossing his hands in the air. "You're supposed to be helping me!"

Lafayette sighs. They lean forward and look John in the eyes. "Do you want to know what I think?"

"Yes."

"I think you should see him."

John inhales deeply and sits back against the wall in concentration. "Why?"

"I think," Lafayette says slowly, deliberately, "that you are in a good enough place now that even if it does not end well, you will be okay."

"How can you be sure?" John replies. "How can you be sure of that when I'm not even sure of that?"

"Because I know you, John," they say, looking him directly in the eye. "And I know you are strong."

John sighs and purses his lips, thinks. "It's just so... I don't know. Hard."

Lafayette stands and joins John on his bed. They take his hand with both of theirs and pat it gently. "John, I firmly believe it will end well for you."

"How?"

They smile. "Because Alexander Hamilton would be crazy to not fall in love with you."

* * *

John had texted Alexander instead of calling him, mostly for his own benefit. The message said simply, I'll be at the café at noon today. 

Alexander doesn't answer him. John can only hope that curiosity gets the better of him by the time noon rolls around. 

John arrives at the café alone thirty minutes early, his hands shaking just enough to remind him why he's doing this. Anticipation bites at his ankles as he sits at the table Alexander had occupied the first day he saw him. 

It is exactly 12:03 when Alexander Hamilton walks into the building, not that John is keeping track. His hands are fidgeting around his phone, trying not to stare as Alexander orders a cup of coffee nonchalantly. John wonders if he even got his text, if he came here to meet him or just happened to show up at the right time. 

John is anxiously pondering the validity of coincidences when he hears the seat in front of him move backward. It is filled with a body and John still hasn't looked up to see if it is Alexander. 

"Hello."

John meets the eyes of the stranger sitting across from him. He realizes that they're the captivating eyes of Alexander Hamilton. His breath hitches. 

"Hello," he echoes, rolling his lips. 

Neither speaks, they just stare. John has so many things he wants to say, but he can't. All that comes out is, "How are you?"

Alexander exhales, as if he had been ready to explode. "I'm well. And you?"

"Not bad," John shrugs, feeling himself relax slightly. Despite the situation, Alexander has a demeanor that wants to put him at ease. "I've had a couple days off from classes, so 

I've gotten some extra sleep."

"I wish I had a few days off..."

And they talked, and talked, until their empty coffee cups sat in the floor to leave more room for their elbows as they leaned across the small table to listen closer to their conversation. 

Alexander says that he has to leave at 1:45 to get to class. 

He doesn't make it that day.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> guys i'm so sorry it took so long, i didn't have wifi on my laptop until just now, but don't fret, it's almost over, the suffering will cease soon thank you for reading this trash


	6. in which everyone finds out and it's okay

John gets back to his dorm at about six o'clock and he can't stop grinning from ear to ear, his cheeks lightly flushed. He shuts the door behind him and is greeted by Lafayette, who, while seemingly engulfed in homework, quickly adopts John's smile,

"How did it go?" they ask excitedly, sitting on the edge of their bed, ready to hear the details.

John sits down on his own bed and tucks his feet beneath him. He looks dreamily at Lafayette and says, "He's amazing." 

"Is he, now?" Lafayette replies suggestively. "What happened?"

"He showed up at the café and we ended up sitting there for almost three hours," he begins excitedly. "It sounds crazy, right, but I could listen to him talk for even longer. He's brilliant. And funny, Laf, he's charming and he reads and he likes me, and oh my God."

Lafayette is giddy with happiness for their friend. "What did you do after?"

"We left the café and walked around the campus for a while," he continues. "Then we got lunch at this cute little deli, I'll have to show you guys, I had no idea it was there, but Alexander knows all about these little niches around town. 

"He bought us both lunch to help pay me back for bailing him out, and when I tried to pay, he said no and put my hand back down but he didn't let go, Laf, he held my hand until we sat down to eat, oh my God." 

Lafayette is grinning like a madman while John seems to have fallen into a dreamlike state, going through the day in his mind again. He returns to the present and says, "And he offered to walk me back here and I said okay and halfway here he held my hand again and I almost died, he's so adorable and sweet and he literally kissed my hand when he left and Lafayette, I swear this is the end of me." 

"I told you, mon ami," Lafayette says, "that it would turn out well. When are you going to see him again?"

As if on cue, John's phone dings and he clicks on the screen. He grins even wider. "It's Alexander." 

Lafayette does a little hop on their bed as they question excitedly, "What does it say?"

John reads, "'Hey John, I hope this isn't weird but I'm already bored.'" He chuckles and looks back up at Lafayette. "See how adorable he is? If you had only seen him, Laf, he was just a little nervous but still really charming and - and I'm charmed." 

"You don't say," Lafayette replies sarcastically, but they're still smiling. "I am so happy for you." 

John grins back at them and types out a reply to Alexander. Lafayette returns to their homework, looking over at John every few minutes, glad to see that he doesn't stop smiling for even a second.

***

Lafayette goes out at about eight o'clock to get dinner for John, themself, and Hercules, who is meeting them at the little pizza place. Hercules is waiting at the entrance when Lafayette arrives. 

"Hey," he greets, and Lafayette smiles back warmly.

"Hello," they respond, and then immediately add, "You will never guess what happened today." Hercules raises an eyebrow as he holds the door open for Lafayette. They turn around to face him when they're both inside. "John met his soulmate today."

Alarms begin to go off in his head. "Alexander?" 

Lafayette looks back at Hercules in surprise. "You knew?"

"Yeah, he was freaking out after my class the other day, and I recognized him," he answers. "I didn't say anything because I didn't want John to find out."

"Neither did I," Lafayette agrees, but then continues, "but then he found out on his own and decided to meet him, and Hercules, you have to see him. I haven't seen John this happy." 

"So it went well?"

"He is smitten," they nod, grinning widely as they step in line at the register. "Alexander even texted him just a few minutes after he left." 

"This is good, Gil," Hercules nods seriously, a faint smile showing on his face. Lafayete feels their cheeks turn pink at the use of their first name. "This could be really good."

"I think it will be," Lafayette agrees. Their eyes meet and they share a smile, their hands brushing. 

They reach the counter and order two pepperoni pizzas, which are handed to them almost immediately. Lafayette pays and Hercules carries the boxes. 

"I'm glad I approached him in the café," Lafayette remarks as they exit the restaurant. 

"Yeah, about that," Hercules comments, "I know we said we weren't going to say anything about us yet, but I don't know how I feel about you flirting with other guys." 

Lafayette gives him a sly look. "Jealous, mon ami?" 

"Yes," he responds immediately, then says in a quiet, gravelly voice, closer to their ear, "incredibly so."

Lafayette nearly shivers. They raise an eyebrow at Hercules instead. "Save it for later." They both grin at each other, sneaking glances on their way back to the dorm.  
***

When Lafayette and Hercules arrive at Lafayette's dorm, they open the door expecting John to be on his phone, still grinning, talking to Alexander. 

They were mostly right. John was still grinning, and he was still talking to Alexander, but he wasn't on his phone, because Alexander was sitting on John's bed beside him. They were giggling like children. It would have been endearing if Lafayette and Hercules weren't so surprised to see him there.

"Alexander?" Lafayette says first, moving in further to allow Hercules room. John and Alexander look up at them in slight surprise. 

"Guys!" John greets happily. "This is Alexander!" 

"We've met," Lafayette says, a smile creeping onto their face. "How are you, Alexander?" 

"I'm well, Lafayette," Alexander replies. "And you, Hercules?"

"Wait, how do you know Herc?" John interrupts, eyebrows raised.  
Alexander's eyes flash in fear for a moment, but before he can answer, Hercules says, "We ran into each other on the way to class the other day."

Alexander sends Hercules his silent thanks. 

John says then, "Well. I hope it's okay that he came over."

"I know I just left a little earlier, but John invited me, and . . ." Alexander shrugs sheepishly and glances over at John. They share a little smile. 

Hercules and Lafayette exchange a knowing look and they both say, "It's fine," smiling down at Alexander and John. 

They have dinner and talk and laugh until it feels as if they've all been friends for ages. When it's almost midnight, Alexander announces that he has to leave and actually get some sleep before class in the morning. Hercules and Lafayette, slyly cuddling closer by the minute, say goodbye, and John followers Alexander outside the door. 

They giggle a little as their eyes meet. Neither knows what to say. 

Finally, Alexander says, "I'll talk to you tomorrow." It sounds like a question. 

"Yeah, tomorrow," John nods in agreement. 

Before he turns, Alexander grins and places a light kiss on John's cheek, then smiles sweetly at him. He turns and leaves, looking back twice. 

John smiles to himself. Alexander won't be gone for long.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> well i couldn't resist throwing in some laf/herc action because i didn't know i would end up shipping it as much as i do now, so i through it in there
> 
> thank you guys for reading this garbage and commenting, it seriously makes me so happy it's unreal, you guys are the world, thank you so much
> 
> i've got some other works on the way, hopefully, though not lams as of right now. i've got a jamilton one-shot i'm about to post, so if you feel like it, it'd be cool if you'd check that out but okay i'm done promoting
> 
> again, thank you for the support on this, and i'm sorry it took so long to get the last chapters up, i promise i never forgot about them, thank you thank you thank you
> 
> (btw come scream at me about hamilton or anything else on tumblr @avory )

**Author's Note:**

> this is honestly super sloppy, and it originally was a pre-slash one-shot, but I guess I'm posting the other chapters now woo!
> 
> I've gone through this to edit for grammar, but there might still be something that I let slip, so please let me know!


End file.
